Arizona Diamondbacks: First Base

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Assuming Xavier Nady winds up in left field, Juan Miranda and Brandon Allen will be left to duke it out for first base. Miranda has absolutely raked in the minors (.281/.367/.478 in 423 games), but his age (he turns 28 in April) disqualifies him from earning top prospect status like Allen.

Miranda is out of minor-league options and thus will likely get first crack at the job, but Allen should wrest the starting job away from him by August.

Atlanta Braves: Center Field

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Jordan Schafer homered in his first-ever big-league at-bat in 2009, then got sent back to the minors and didn't appear in an MLB game in 2010. Nate McLouth hit 46 homers and stole 42 bases in 2008-9, but then completely tanked last year, hitting .190 with a horrific -1.3 WAR in just 85 games.

Unless one of them can rediscover their old games, the Braves are stuck between a rock and a hard place here.

Baltimore Orioles: Left Field

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Felix Pie cracked Baseball America's Top 100 prospect list five years in a row from 2003-7, but he's been unspectacular since reaching the Big Show four years ago. The leading candidate to be the O's' left fielder, Pie will have to hold off Nolan Reimold, who raised eyebrows as a rookie in 2009 (.279/.365/.466) but completely collapsed in 2010, hitting .207 with a .610 OPS.

Both players have potential, but Baltimore will be lucky to get much production from either of them in 2011.

Boston Red Sox: Shortstop

Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

Make no mistake, Marco Scutaro is the Red Sox' starting shortstop—for now. That could change this year, as Jed Lowrie (.287/.381/.526 in 55 games as a utility infielder in 2010) will start to see some significant playing time.

Unless there's an injury, it would take a big spring for Lowrie to crack the lineup by Opening Day, but he could carve out a starting spot for himself by season's end.

Chicago Cubs: Outfield

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Chicago will waste $33 million Kosuke Fukudome and Alfonso Soriano in 2011, and they'll get plenty of chances to give the Cubs a decent return on their investment. Still, 25-year-old Tyler Colvin is waiting in the wings, and in limited time last year he was better than Fukudome.

Colvin won't get much action out of the gate, but he could take a veteran's job by midseason.

Cincinnati Reds: Left Field

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Incumbent Jonny Gomes is the favorite for playing time in Cincinnati, even after his abysmal fielding (-16.2 UZR) made him a roughly replacement-level player last year. His main competitor and likely platoon partner Fred Lewis was mediocre in 110 games for the Blue Jays last year.

Unless one of the two has a breakout year, this won't be much of a battle.

Florida Marlins: Third Base

Marc Serota/Getty Images

Highly touted prospect Matt Dominguez is the Marlins' long-term answer at the hot corner, but the 21-year-old might not be ready for the big leagues yet; using Jeff Sackmann's Minor-League Equivalency calculator, his 2010 Double-A numbers translate to a mediocre .230/.287/.337 slashline.

Florida will likely opt to give Dominguez some more time in the minors, but a hot spring could give him the edge over Emilio Bonifacio.

Kansas City Royals: Outfield

Elsa/Getty Images

I have no idea how this situation will play out—I just know it will be bad. Incumbent Mitch Maier did a passable job last year, and the Royals didn't bring in Lorenzo Cain and Jeff Francoeur to ride the bench, so they're my picks to be the Opening Day starters.

That said, Kansas City has plenty of other mediocre options, like Melky Cabrera, Alex Gordon, and Gregor Blanco.

Los Angeles Angels Of Anaheim: Catcher

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Mike Scioscia loves Jeff Mathis. Absolutely loves him. That's why Mathis, a career .199 hitter, has appeared in 246 games in the last three years—in 2008, when he hit .194, he got more playing time than Mike Napoli.

Napoli's gone now, but top prospect Hank Conger could force his way past Mathis on the depth chart.

Los Angeles Dodgers: Left Field

Jeff Gross/Getty Images

Padres non-tender Tony Gwynn Jr. is probably the favorite here. His .204/.304/.287 slashline last year leaves a lot to be desired, but his great glove (32.9 UZR/150 last year) makes him a useful player.

His defense is especially important for a Dodgers team that will also feature outfield statues Andre Ethier (-19.7) and Matt Kemp (-25.6), so he'll likely hold off Jay Gibbons and Marcus Thames.

Minnesota Twins: Outfield

Hannah Foslien/Getty Images

Veterans Denard Span, Jason Kubel, and Michael Cuddyer will compete for playing time with former top prospect Delmon Young (coming off the first decent season of his career) in the Target Field big green.

Assuming Justin Morneau is healthy and Jim Thome can handle playing most days, someone's going to get edged out. It will probably be Cuddyer or Kubel, who combined for 0.7 WAR and -25.4 UZR in 2010.

New York Mets: Outfield

Jeff Gross/Getty Images

With Jason Bay, Carlos Beltran, and Angel Pagan on hand, the Mets' Opening Day outfield seems set. And yet, things could get complicated quickly—Bay and Beltran played poorly and struggled through injuries last year, and top prospect Fernando Martinez is waiting in the wings.

The veterans will get chances to redeem themselves, but F-Mart's presence means that the others are on a short leash.

New York Yankees: Rotation

Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Perhaps the most high-profile spring battle will be in the Yankees' rotation. After missing out on Cliff Lee and losing Andy Pettitte, the Bombers will send youngsters Joba Chamberlain, Ivan Nova, and Sergio Mitre out to compete with old veterans Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon for the final two starting spots.

And that's assuming New York doesn't trade for someone else or lose a pitcher to injury.

Oakland Athletics: Outfield

Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images

The A's have a very talented outfield with Coco Crisp, David DeJesus, and Josh Willingham, but all have health or durability issues. Moreover, Ryan Sweeney will try to reclaim his starting job, and top prospect Chris Carter is going to find playing time somewhere.

With Hideki Matsui at DH, Oakland simply doesn't have room to accommodate everyone.

San Francisco Giants: Left Field

Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

Pat Burrell is the presumptive starter here after helping the Giants down the stretch in their 2010 championship run (.266/.364/.509), but his miserable performance with the Rays in the previous year-and-a-half (.218/.311/.361) suggests he's in for some major regression. He'll have to fend off Aaron Rowand and Mark DeRosa for playing time.

And if first base prospect Brandon Belt plays well, Aubrey Huff will usurp the left field job.

Seattle Mariners: Left Field/Designated Hitter

Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images

Top prospect Michael Saunders will have to compete with veterans Jack Cust and Milton Bradley for the two available spots. If he can't handle second base, you can throw Dustin Ackley into the mix as well.

Saunders and Cust will probably open the season in left and at DH, respectively, but that could change quickly.

Tampa Bay Rays: Left Field

J. Meric/Getty Images

Desmond Jennings has been groomed to be the next Carl Crawford, and after he signed with the Boston Red Sox, he was expected to be his replacement. That's no longer the plan (at least, not immediately) now that the Rays have Johnny Damon in the fold.

Jennings is likely to get called up to fight for a job midseason, but it would take a big spring for him to usurp Damon on the depth chart by Opening Day.

Toronto Blue Jays: Closer

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Octavio Dotel was the favorite to close in Toronto before Jon Rauch arrived. Now, with Frank Francisco in the fold as well, the job is up in the air.

Dotel has the most experience closing, but Rauch put up the best numbers last year, and the Blue Jays wouldn't have dealt Mike Napoli for Francisco if they didn't have a plan for him. This will be an interesting situation to watch.

Washington Nationals: Left Field

Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

Roger Bernadina is the favorite here after appearing in 134 games last year, but the signing of Rick Ankiel and rumors about trading for Grady Sizemore suggest a lack of confidence in his ability to be a productive hitter (.246/.307/.384 last year). Mike Morse is a better option, and he's a good candidate to be 2011's Jose Bautista.